Monday, March 17, 2008

Blogger Paddle and Knit took a kayak out on the East River during a cold, rainy day and paddled by the southern tip of Roosevelt Island.

We paddled from Long Island City to the Water Club in Manhattan. We waved at the restaurant guests, chefs cooking by the windows and a room of bat-mitzvah celebrants. We headed back past the southern tip of Roosevelt Island and were able to see the crane leaning against the building on 51st Street.

Wouldn't it be great if Roosevelt Island could get a boat house to launch kayaks! From an earlier Roosevelt Islander post:

Several years ago I inquired of RIOC about the possibility of a Kayak launch here and was told that the currents were much too strong to safely permit. But others with practical experience of such matters advised that with proper guidance a kayak launch could readily be created on Roosevelt Island.

A reader of the post commented:

there are many areas where eddies would permit a kayak landing. for that matter, just land at southpoint and climb over the short fence. just be prepared for a ticket, as cops have claimed it to be illegal to climb on the seawall rocks.

Kayaking around Roosevelt Island is pretty good given the very swift currents in the East River. It's like jumping on an express train to head north or south (depending on your timing). New York City, in general, has very poor waterfront access, so don't feel particularly slighted -- the very expensive Hudson River park on Manhattan's West Side does not have water access south of 23rd Street and are only four authorized access points in all of Manhattan. Once you're on the water in a kayak or canoe, you're almost guaranteed to get the notice of the NYPD marine unit or Coast Guard. NYC is just not friendly to kayakers or canoers (but it is rewarding once you can get to the water).

Here's a chart of East River tides and currents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Maybe with proper understanding and knowledge of the challenges involved in kayaking from Roosevelt Island, the new RIOC administration will reconsider decisions made by prior administrations concerning kayaking from Roosevelt Island!

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Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.

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